Editorial: Cold politics

Friday

Nov 23, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 23, 2007 at 11:22 PM

One bill the Legislature did manage to enact just before heading off on its winter break will provide $15 million to help the state's neediest families keep home heating oil in their tanks. With winter setting in and oil at record prices, the money is needed right now. Not that it will go all that far.

The MetroWest Daily News

One bill the Legislature did manage to enact just before heading off on its winter break will provide $15 million to help the state's neediest families keep home heating oil in their tanks. With winter setting in and oil at record prices, the money is needed right now.

Not that it will go all that far. As he signed the bill, Gov. Deval Patrick explained that the state money will mostly help families catch up on home heating bills already overdue. That may help keep customers from getting cut off for nonpayment of bills.

The larger share of home heating assistance New England families depend on comes from the federal government. Unfortunately, while the politicians in Boston have done their part, their counterparts in Washington haven't.

President George W. Bush has vetoed the bill containing $2.4 billion in funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and Congress has yet to vote on overriding his veto. Meanwhile, Bush is sitting on $20 million in contingency funds for LIHEAP.

Bush should release those contingency funds now, and Congress should get the next appropriation signed into law. Winter's here, and politics does nothing to keep low-income families warm.

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